12 days of Christmas, The Fires of Hell, Relapse, and Hope: 7/27-7/31

Wednesday morning began well with another run to the gym and 12 Days of Christmas workout.

1. Lap around the indoor track (1/15 of a mile)
2. Step up (each leg)
3. Fire Hydrant (each leg with a leg extension)
4. Dips
5. Push ups
6. Bicycles
7. Prisoner Squats (with an elbow to knee leg raise on each side)
8. Russian Twists w/ 6lb weighted ball
9. Side oblique crunches (each side)
10. Standard Crunch
11. Crossover Crunch (each side)
12. Bird Dogs

 I still had some of the tightness in my chest that had lingered from my bout with the flu, but I felt that progress was being made overall.  However, as the day went on, my voice began to get hoarse and around noon my student worker asked me if I was feeling well.  I wasn't.  I took some Dayquil that I had in the office, my voice was getting rough and sinuses were beginning to clog up.  That night I took some NiQuil and headed to bed early.  However, we had to run the AC all night because the Fires Of Hell have engulfed Raleigh this summer: According the the Daily Beast Raleigh is the third hottest city in America this summer.  When, I woke my throat was worse and my sinuses were a total mess.  I was feeling bad and should have stayed home from work, but having missed so much time earlier with the flu, I chose to go to work.  I made it through the day but progressively got worse.  My whole left side of my face was stuffed up.  I continued with the over the counters and made plans to take Friday off, which was a very good thing because Thursday night was wretched.

With my sinuses clogged, I was forced to breathe in through my mouth, which caused my cough to return with a vengeance.  The night was pure hell and even though I didn't tell Hiroko, I contemplated going to the ER because the pain in my ribs from coughing was so bad.  After three hours of coughing, I was at last able to go to sleep.  Friday morning, I went to the doctor, who after running several respiratory tests prescribed a steroid inhaler, another round of antibiotics (10 days this time), told me to go back to taking the codeine cough medicine I had been taking with my first flu bout, and sent me for some chest x-rays, which were negative. 
Currently, I am still waiting for my sinuses to completely clear, my breathing is improved but still not anywhere near normal, but the best thing is that my coughing has gone away.  However, the most disconcerting thing is the soreness in my ribs and back.  I am not really sure what to make of it and I know that there several reasons why it could be so prevalent, most of which are nothing to be concerned about, but with the way things have gone over the last six weeks . . . . ?????????

Honestly, I am trying to be hopeful that these new medications will have me sorted out and back on the road to recovery, but there is part of me that is more than a little worried that something might really be amiss.  It has been a long times since, I have been this sick foe such an extended period of time, which has me more than a little unnerved.  However, whenever I start to feel sorry for myself and feel like throwing myself a pity party I think about the way Red handled the ordeal with her stress fracture and it has steeled my resolve not to wallow in self pity. At least not yet anyway! ;)